Lily Jackson ’28, Feature Editor
Recently, a jewelry heist took place in the world-famous Louvre museum located in Paris, France has turned mass media attention to the museum, as it was seemingly something out of a Carmen San Diego episode. The items stolen on Oct. 19 resulted in an approximate value loss of over $100 million.
Before going into detail regarding the heist, it is important to first understand the prep-work the robbers went through. A couple of days prior, the thieves stole a basket lift truck that aided them in their raid. The use of the truck allowed the thieves to easily lift themselves into the museum. Laurence Beccuau, a Paris prosecutor, explains that the robbers used threats against a truck company, but she never mentioned acts of violence. The groundwork laid by the thieves simplified their plan and allowed them to orchestrate the heist with ease.
Jumping forward to the day of the actual heist, at around 9:30 a.m., the robbery was committed. The robbers, dressed as renovation workers, parked the truck they previously acquired along a sidewalk at the foot of the Louvre. They cleverly placed cones surrounding the truck with the intention of simulating a maintenance operation. The thieves then climbed a ladder to gain entrance into the Louvre—the entire timeline of this endeavor being around four minutes.
Following their entrance into the Apollo Gallery, at around 9:35 a.m., the two thieves used disk cutters to puncture display cases with the desired jewels inside. At this time, their entrance is noticed by security staff on cameras at the Louvre, and visitors are told to evacuate. Museum managers and security officials begin to alert nearby police departments as well as request that the doors of the museum be closed.
Despite all the commotion, the two thieves were able to make a relatively quick escape through their place of entry; the operation only lasted in total of around eight minutes. A video shared across many social media platforms of the thieves slowly descending down the truck in their “dramatic” exit shows has drawn many questions to security measures at the Louvre. Once they completed their escape, two other people awaited them on scooters, adding to their rather humorous exit.
Later in the day, a precious piece of jewelry was recovered outside of the museum. Unfortunately, the thieves were able to steal eight other jewels with rich history and value. Some jewels taken included Empress Marie-Louise’s emerald set and Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense’s sapphire set.
10 days later, minimal information surrounding the heist was made public, and social media began scrutinizing security measures in the Louvre. Specifically on TikTok, users have created jokes mocking security officials at the museum and pretending to be the thieves. People have photoshopped themselves with images of the stolen goods as well as jokingly predicting what might be stolen next.
Additionally, Paris officials and investigators have not helped in silencing media outbursts as minimal movements in the case are being made. The manhunt in search of the bandits responsible for the burglary was ripped apart online by keyboard warriors as well as government officials. It was revealed by Beccuau that around 100 investigators and officials are currently on the case. She also revealed that forensic workers are analyzing samples from the basket lift, security camera footage, and other found clues.
Later, on Oct 26., announcements that arrests were made stunned social media. Although only two suspects are in custody currently, there has been no indication of any recovered jewels. The president of the Senate Culture Committee, Laurent Lafon, described the Louvre’s security as “weak” and said, “We have a security system that does not meet what we would expect from a museum.”
Multiple students at SLHS visited The Louvre over the summer and discussed various security measures they noticed prior to the heist. Junior Bella VanSteenkiste discussed her visit and said, “There were some attendants monitoring the exhibits and occasional cameras in primary areas.” VanSteenkiste also said that the security inside the museum did not feel extremely obvious or heavily guarded. Another student, sophomore Ani Nadukuru, also visited The Louvre, and explained the security features he noticed. He said, “It took forever to get into the actual museum, but once I was in, all I noticed was cameras and attendants.” It is questionable to many that security precautions in the Louvre were lackluster.
The robbery-turned social media sensation shined a spotlight on security measures at the Louvre. Although the media ripped apart Paris officials and mocked the recent heist, security precautions in the museum are bound to improve. Hilarious new developments made throughout the manhunt raise the question—was it a heist or a prank?
Lyon Life 